You Only Hurt the Ones You Love

About the Book

You Only Hurt the Ones You Love is a collection of short plays by David J. Holcombe. The subject matter varies from food poisoning to Czech folk dancing, with lots of odd topics in between. The common denominator remains a keen sense of social observation and a desire to translate those findings into meaningful theater. While it is understood that many people want to be entertained rather than educated or harangued, most of these plays deal with weighty and sometimes controversial topics, often approached with humor. Artists have the responsibility to translate our world, so chaotic, disturbing, or even repulsive, into something concise, poignant, and beautiful, a far cry from simply entertaining. If you can learn something, so much the better.

About the Author

David J. Holcombe came to the “Heart of Louisiana” by a circuitous route. Born in San Francisco, California, he grew up in the bucolic East Bay when pear and walnut orchards still dominated the landscape. Beginning writing in high school, he continued in college at the University of California at Davis where he took courses from Diane Murray-Johnson (author of “Le Mariage” and “Le Divorce.”) After a long hiatus from writing while he studied medicine in Belgium, he resumed both creative and technical writing in the 1990’s in Alexandria, the “Heart of Louisiana.” Although a full time internal medicine practice did not offer a lot of free time to indulge in creativity, he nonetheless continued writing, painting and folk dancing. Transitioning to a job in public health over a decade ago, Dr. Holcombe continued to write both technical and creative works, resulting in the self-publication of 10 books. Fourteen of his plays have been produced locally by Spectral Sisters Productions, a developmental theater group with which he as been affiliated for 15 years. He and his Belgian wife, Nicole, support the local arts scene by hosting visiting artists, attending arts activities and donating to local theater groups and arts organizations. Dr. Holcombe’s compatriots have affectionately nicknamed him the “Chekhov on the Bayou.”